Bâches and beetles

So, after 14 months of frustrations, delays and cock-ups, the bloody pool is finally finished. That is apart from a little bit of gravel smoothing and putting the pilfered L’Horte railing on the back of the steps but let’s face it, those are just decorative. I have to admit I’m a bit blown away by what we have achieved, the whole structure looks like it belongs in a holiday brochure instead of our rear jardin. Of course, the final reveal didn’t come without a few hiccups – Roy and I discovered that the winter cover had been put on the wrong way around so it ended up at the other end of the pool (we’ve left it for Lionel and Denis to move into its storage area) and then, having unrolled the summer cover and laid it on the water, we discovered that we too had put it on back to front so to speak. At least this bâche was lighter so it didn’t take any effort to turn it the right way and roll it onto the winder thingy which, we noted, was too big and missing some essential screws. Still, thanks to Roy’s ingenuity, the pool is now open – far too cold to swim in but looking fabulous.

Naturally there is still work to be done, the lovely Lionel has to fix the wooden rails to their posts and put the gates in and I have to lay the paving slabs for the apartment garden’s pathways but I’m more optimistic now that the end is in sight. Mind you, the outside space might be just about ready but the main house has a way to go. Having made a decision to get the roof checked out before we started any work on the top floors of both the house and the apartment, I had a couple of meetings with roof experts. The news from all parties wasn’t unexpected although a little worse (and expensive) than we thought – the beams and roof structure are over-populated with Capricorns and I don’t mean those people born under the sign of a goat. These Capricorns are pesky wood-boring beetles (Hylotrups bajulus to be given their correct name) that munch their way through your beautiful wood and can only be eradicated with an injection of something or other into the beam itself. Great.

With the prospect of sunny days and warming pools ahead, I took a bit of time out to do some wardrobe clearing out. My ami, Pip, reckons I can sell my high heels and somewhat dated dresses online so she’ll be around next week to photograph the growing pile of historical artefacts so I can post them up on Vinted (yes I have vintage clothing apparently). No doubt I shall shed a tear or two when my beloved 5 inch stiletto boots go but those days of being able to walk in them are long gone. I found my ‘going away’ outfit from our wedding stuffed in the back of one closet, only so much sentiment can be applied to shoulder pads so that’s in the pile too. I’ve kept back a few ‘you never know’ dresses but life as a country gal doesn’t really require sequins and sparkles, just several pairs of jeans and a few T-shirts that Sherman hasn’t eaten a hole in. Or maybe there’s a Capricorn tunnelling around…..

“The best things in life aren’t things” (Art Buchwald)